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Archive for the tag “kids’ stuff”

iLuminate™, the Off-Broadway smash spectacle is a visual feast. They wowed the USA with their groundbreaking light suits and innovative dance moves on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” where the dance-in-the-dark sensation was selected as one of the hit show’s top finalists after judge Piers Morgan called them “The Best New Act in America!”

Firstly, a massive thank you to iLuminate™ for inviting Jeddah Blog to watch their show. As if it wasn’t enough to be invited, we were given VIP tickets and prime seating at the event. Special mention goes to Mohammed AlSayed from Katch who very smoothly sorted it all out for us.

A word about the organisers first. I have never, ever seen such an organised crew. We arrived in good time at the venue – the King Abdullah Sports Stadium. There were plenty of event members throughout, from the parking lot to the ticket booth, security and within the stadium itself. Each and every member of staff was so well-trained, so extremely polite and helpful – we were frankly amazed. Even during the interval, cleaners arrived to collect any loose rubbish. For daily show timings check here.

Now coming to the show itself. This is a highly charged, action packed show. There is dance, music and technology combined together with a great storyline. There are lots of ‘wow’ moments and the show succeeds in keeping your attention throughout.

The story revolves around Jacob, a shy young artist who discovers a magic paintbrush. He falls in love with a girl called Ali, but ends up having his magic brush stolen by the show’s villain Darius.

There are plenty of dance routines during this journey, two of my favourite being the Michael Jackson medley and the Bruno Mars song. The show even gets interactive with the audience when Jacob and friends have to crack the code to the portal and ask a little audience member to help them out. Other music featured in the show includes James Brown, Janet Jackson, Chris Brown, LMFAO, The Wanted and Sam Smith.

The audience are asked to put away their mobile phones as the glare can interfere with the show – I wish everyone had complied with that request. There were a few people who somehow continued to insist on using their phones despite repeated reminders. Kindly note, when you attend this show, for the sake of others’ enjoyment, please please put away your phones and savour the moment.

Lastly, I must make mention of the audience, which was energetic, responsive and highly entertained. People are starving for family entertainment here in Jeddah and I hope that iLuminate™ will be the first of many world class acts to perform here.

After enjoying a delicious cup of coffee how many of us do actually think of recycling the empty Nespresso capsules as pieces of fashion, home decor or stationery? This quirky idea struck Dalia Ghorab, who always had a hard time throwing away the beautiful empty capsules,and hence she decided to give them a new lease of life as bookmarks, jewellery and even home decor accessories.

We at Jeddah Blog fell in love with Dalia’s creativity and couldn’t wait to bring her work to our readers. Jeddah Blog writer Samreen Ahmed promptly got in touch with Dalia to find out more.

Earrings made from recycled Nespresso cups.

Dalia introduces herself as an architect who worked in Egypt but quit her job to moveto Jeddah with her family eight years ago. She always loved arts and started making handmade accessories in 2012 before she began recycling Nespresso capsules. “I am kind of a hoarder,” says Dalia. “I started saving the capsules not sure of what I’d do with them. Then I started googling and found out that they were collected and recycled worldwide but not in Saudi Arabia.” Dalia contacted the Nespresso team in Jeddah who also confirmed that they do not recycle the capsules, so Dalia came up with her own plan of action and began designing recycled products made from Nespresso empty capsules.

All the accessories she makes are hand-made and it is difficult to imagine that they were once nothing but empty capsules. There is a variety of things you can find in Dalia’s collection but the goth ballerina pendant deserves a special mention.

Goth Ballerina Pendant with Black Turquoise Stone.

As a passionate art lover and a mother she wanted her children Adam, 14 and Laila, 12 to do something worthwhile and thus encouraged them to join her in this mini project which is also an initiative to save the environment since the capsules are made of aluminium. It is amazing to see how creatively Dalia has transformed plain aluminium pods into rings, earrings, pendants and trinkets and she suggests that the capsules can be used in various art projects in schools to reinforce the importance of recycling in children. Even Dalia’s 4 year old and 2 year old toddler play with the clean emptied cups learning colour recognition, sequencing and counting. It seems the possibilities are endless.

Dancing Princess Pendant with Pink Garnet.

Schools in general must take up more such art projects that help in bringing out the creativity in children while creating a civic sense in them from a young age. Nespresso capsules particularly make up a huge amount of waste every month and it is high time this waste is put to good use. For the purpose of promoting this idea Dalia, Adam and Laila hosted a stall at the spring fair in British International School of Jeddah.

Spanish Torero Pendant with genuine pearls.

Dalia believes that not only children, but grown ups too must get involved in collecting and recycling Nespresso capsules and find new ways to reuse them. Dalia’s ideas and collection are becoming popular with Jeddawis and she tells us that within just a week her Facebook page attracted a lot of fans and followers. The innovative team is doing their bit,but they are looking for more support and promotion of their idea to make the concept of recycling Nespresso capsules popular in the country. “It would be lovely if someone can help in holding exhibitions, contests or anything of that sort to promote the idea. We are trying to raise awareness to save the environment with a creative and artistic approach”, voices Dalia.

So if you are a coffee lover and are a part of the huge crowd who throws away coffee capsules, take a peek at Dalia’s work and join hands in saving up the capsules and crafting out beautiful masterpieces which otherwise would harm the environment when discarded in bulk.

Le Concheur has slowly and steadily been making its presence felt in Jeddah. Although they are still at their soft opening stage, constantly adapting and refining their menu to customer feedback, they are already gaining a base of loyal customers in the city.

A few days ago, my children received a very special invitation from the Kids’ Party Consultant at Le Concheur, Kathy Bacchus. To their absolute delight, they were asked if they would like to attend an exclusive chocolate cup making activity with a group of other children. And if you know the JB family, when it comes to sampling dessert, you don’t need to ask us twice… Needless to say, my children were more than crazily-excited and confirmed their attendance on the spot.

The impressive shop front of Le Concheur.

We arrived enthusiastically half an hour early, were warmly welcomed by the staff, and ordered a berry crepe while waiting for the event to begin. The crepe was a hit with the kids; they commented on the freshness of the fruits in the crepe and proceeded to wipe the plate clean.

Children excited and ready to get started.

Once the activity began upstairs, all of the children were given aprons and chef hats. Despite having a larger attendance than expected, the activity was well-organised and ran quite smoothly.

Kathy explaining how the chocolate machine works.

Kathy and her helpful assistant Franko explained the importance of using tempered chocolate to ensure the chocolate cups stay intact.

Now hold your breath for the next picture…

Pouring tempered chocolate.

They showed us the machine used to temper the chocolate by keeping it at a very precise temperature. The flow of chocolate is controlled by a foot pedal, and filled trays are placed for a few seconds on a vibrating stand to pop any air bubbles.

Kids’ Lab Manager, Kathy, operating the chocolate machine.

Kathy demonstrated to the children how to operate the machine. It’s not as easy as it looks!

Chocolate cups setting in the moulds.

It was very hard to resist, but the chocolate cups had to be left alone for a while to set in their moulds, after which Franko gave a helping hand to the kids in turning out the moulds.

Franko turning out the chocolate moulds.

Once the chocolate saucers and cups were set, the children carefully piped chocolate mousse into the little cups. They all did a great job.

Piping the chocolate mousse into the prepared chocolate cups.

The junior chefs topped off the mousse with raisins and chocolate covered nuts (the hazelnuts are my favourite!), and proudly wrapped their creations in plastic and ribbons to take home.

The final chocolate cup.

It was a wonderful event, thoroughly enjoyed by all of the children present and I can see this activity becoming very popular for birthdays and other private parties. Special thanks to Erik Van Der Veken, rock star chocolatier and creator of the amazing chocolate sculptures displayed instore for his hospitality and good grace.

One of Erik’s beautiful chocolate creations.

Exciting information that I can reveal exclusively to Jeddah Blog readers is that Erik is working with renowned Saudi couture and bridal fashion designer Reem Faisal on a project that will be unveiled at their Grand Opening, planned for the 24th of November.

Le Concheur can be found close to Sari Bridge, at the intersection of Prince Sultan Street and Kayyal Street and can be followed on Instagram via @leconcheur and @erikvandv

Having been in Jeddah town for around five years now, and having gone back at least eight times, I was fast beginning to feel like I had exhausted all options for my ‘Arab souvenirs’. Friends and families back home had had just about enough of our regular take-homes of assorted dates and fancy nuts from Roasters. Most of the souvenir shops at Jarir Mall and Red Sea Mall were drastically over-priced.

When I come back to Jeddah, I often bring back traditional stuff for my Arab colleagues, something deeply traditional, with a strong feel of place, like Ajrak-printed bedsheets, embroidered cushion covers, and winter shawls. It leaves them elated and asking for more. I was looking for something along those lines, something that makes a very strong statement without necessarily inducing bankruptcy.

As they say, if you’re not a Muggle, magic finds a way to happen. So, where do I hit upon this goldmine of cuteness? In the departure lounge at the airport. Yes, apparently a new or a very recent addition, because I did not see this before, a brand called The Camel Company, which operates from Dubai UAE, has a whole range of souvenirs including notebooks, pens, wallets, cups, decorative plates, cushion covers, key chains, mouse pads, coasters, fridge magnets, paper weights and such.

The motifs are very Arab with a strong dash of color and spunk. The most refreshing part is definitely the colour palette, with bright and deep colours that just leap off the racks and beg purchase. The images for the brand are mostly clichés of the Arab landscape and way of life, but they are very artfully appropriated for a fun effect. They would have to be Arab in the broadest sense of the word, not necessarily Saudi per se, but I don’t think the benefactors of these souvenirs would be overly fussy about that.

Camels and more camels

Camels and more camels!

I don’t know what takes the cup for cuteness, the multi-hued camel with the drooping lower lip, the palm-sized Bedouin girl and boy in authentic Bedouin costume, the mosque sprouting out of desert ground on a set of coasters, the notebook with the ornate calligraphy or the fridge magnets that look like little jewels. For the moment, they look like they’re all winning, and I’m taking them all!

We’re all looking forward to a relaxing summer here in Jeddah. For those who are not going away on holiday, you may be looking for something creative to do as you while away the hot days. If you have children, you might consider enrolling them in some fun art classes to keep those big minds and little fingers active.

We are putting together a list of summer courses and workshops. If you are conducting any that you would like included in the list, be sure to send us the details in an email as soon as you can. Meanwhile, do browse through our list below.

7. Reading in the Summer

All under one roof. Trained person from London U.K. Call 0558145833 for more detailsLocation: Azizia
Fees: 400/ S.A.R
Age: 6 to 10 years
Time: 8 am to 1 pm
Duration: 3 Months
Holidays: 3 days of eid and Friday and Sunday

Nabeela Parvees, a psychologist, conducts arts and craft classes for children and ladies. She feels that children in Jeddah spend too much time playing on gadgets and “don’t realise the emotional and social life around them”. Nabeela believes that she understands the importance of creativity in children in their psychological development and is trying her best to impart a little joy to improve their life skills.

For many children in Jeddah, depending on which school they go to, they are either in the middle, or just starting their Winter Break. If you are wondering how you’ll ever be able to keep the little monkeys busy this holiday, we have some great places to visit and fun things to do right here in Jeddah.

Fakieh Aquarium

Launched earlier this year to much fanfare and excitement, Jeddah’s first aquarium can be found on the busy Corniche Road. Enthusiastic Jeddawis have been flocking to visit the aquarium and have come away with excellent reviews. They tell us that the area is very clean (food and drink are not allowed inside), and the staff are efficient and organised. The dolphin show is a must-see. Open every day from 11am-11pm and from 1:30pm-11pm on Fridays. Make sure you keep a note of the dolphin and seal shows which are scheduled every day for 1pm, 7pm and 9pm and plan around this time. Free wifi is a great plus for those of us who hate to stay away from the internet for long.

Kathy Bacchus wrote in to tell us, “A lady’s morning at Jeddah Aquarium found me there. Vibrant, fresh and welcoming from the outside,we purchased our tickets with ease. Inside, I was struck by the imagination and detail in my undersea exploration. The aquarium is vast with many shark, stingrays, starfish and all species identified and described carefully which I found very educational for all ages. The Dolphin show is a must!.On the day,there were School trips visiting and school children giggling enjoying the show. All in all a very enjoyable visit and a delight to families”.

Expect to pay: SR 50 per person for entrance to the aquarium and SR 50 per person for the dolphin show.

Cafe Ceramique

Situated in Stars Avenue Mall, (by the entrance that goes up to the supermarket – thank you Soreya!) this delightful spot is a sure winner with kids of all ages. Children choose a clay object, from figurines to decorative plates, and then take their time to paint the piece, being as creative as they like. Once they’re done, you take the finished pieces to be glazed and set, and return after a week to pick up your masterpiece. The only problem is, your children might want to start all over again when they see how awesome their creation turns out. One 11 year old girl says, “I like Cafe Ceramique because it’s fun to pick out what you want to paint and then you get to keep what you’ve made”.

Parents can also have a go at practicing their artistic skills. Snacks and drinks can be ordered while painting.

Expect to pay: SR 30-100 per clay piece depending on the size.

Stationery Fantasy

Particularly popular with younger children, Stationery Fantasy on Prince Sultan Street, next to GNP Hospital offers a range of activities kids can indulge in from cooking to arts and crafts, the sandbox, dress-up and a large ball pit. You buy tickets from the counter for your choice of activity and then send the children into the activity room while you sit and watch them through large glass windows. The children are generally well-supervised by staff. Snacks and drinks are available for purchase. Stationery Fantasy also caters to birthday parties. “I like going to Stationery Fantasy because they have lots of nice games which are a lot of fun, especially the ball pit. I like the snacks too”, says a very active 9 year old boy.

Expect to pay: SR 7-45 per activity. The sandpit is SR7 each, the cooking class SR15 and the carpentry section is around SR 45.

Sail Island

Now that the weather is warming up, it is the perfect time to take your young ones to Sail Island. Located on the Corniche (you can’t miss the huge white sails atop the venue), children have a blast swimming in the pools and playing in the sandy playground. The restaurant is set up overlooking the sea and in our opinion, it’s one of the best places to view the sunset from. The best part is that the entrance tickets can be redeemed at the restaurant for meals. The grilled hammour is particularly delicious and cooked to perfection. One boy we asked said, “they have a big area to swim in with fun sprinklers and the beach-side sandy playground.”

Expect to pay: SR 60 per adult and SR 40 per child.

In10So

If your children are in the older age category, then you might want to introduce them to In10so (pronounced Intenso, aimed at kids over 10 years). This gaming area can be found on the third floor of Serafi Mega Mall, on the opposite side of Moon Toon, and also in Red Sea Mall. It’s a great place for teens to hang out decked out with a snooker table, Playstation and Xbox games, and racing/ go-carting. They also have a wide range of challenging arcade games and a bowling area. The latest pop music plays in the background and there’s even a hangout spot with sofas and lights for the teens to chill and chat. There’s also a snack bar with snacks and beverages. One young teen says, “I like it because it’s a good alternative for older siblings to hang out instead of going to Moon Toon which is more for younger kids.”

Expect to pay: SR 50-100 depending on the number of activities chosen.

What do you get when you fuse together a popular western dessert, and a gelatinous Japanese rice. Sounds crazy, right? That’s what we thought, until we tried Gelato Mochi (think Kung-fu Panda style rice balls filled with ice cream). Jeddah Blog writer Haris Ali delves deep into the mystical world of far-eastern fusion desserts, unravels the mysterious ingredients, conquers the difficult task of tasting not one, but nine different flavours and finally presents this special report on his findings.

Mochi, a delicious rice-cake is a dessert traditionally served in Japan. This sticky rice delicacy, is pounded and moulded into the preferred shape, and is sold predominantly in the Japanese New Year. Mochi is often combined with other ingredients to create innovative and exciting new culinary masterpieces. Among them, Chikara Udon – noodles with mochi, Dango – dumplings combined with mochi – and Zoni, mochi with soup.

But the most innovative and exciting creation of the mochi craze is mochi ice cream! The Arabian Food Corporation has introduced to Jeddah, the recent discovery of exotic Gelato Mochi. After super-creamy ice creams and frozen yogurt, this new concept has all the right ingredients to take over the number one spot in the ice cream market, and is already being sold in the top restaurants of Jeddah, including Zen and Shogun.

Our friends at the Arabian Food Corporation very kindly supplied a generous sampling of mochi to our very grateful team for the purpose of tasting, which we were almost too happy to oblige. We marveled at the efficiency and professionalism of the delivery, brought in trays that were neatly and smartly packed and stacked in iceboxes.

The Gelato Mochi comes in bite-sized pieces, each a delightfully small orb of brightly-coloured ice cream, wrapped in a thin rice layer of mochi. There are nine heavenly flavours of mochi ice cream and sorbet including Japanese Green Tea, Vanilla, Peach and Mango and Cookies N Cream, each completely distinct in flavour. The mochi ice creams encased in the pounded rice shell are smooth and refreshing, the perfect palate-cleansing ending to a meal. The sleek, powdery rice covering adds a beautiful texture to the cool interior. Although hard to pick favourites when there is so much to like, we loved the Belgian Chocolate, Cookies N Cream, Vanilla and Pomegranate. We found the Japanese Green Tea to be quite bland, and the flavour was completely lost after trying the others.

Hard to believe this is low-fat!

Imagine our delight when we found out that not only are these bite-size wonders a treat for our taste buds, but they are a healthy alternative to mainstream desserts and are low in sugar, have zero trans-fats and absolutely no added artificial colour, preservative or artificial flavouring.

Arabian Foods will even deliver mochi ice cream to your door. At SR5 per piece, and SR75 for a tray of 15 mochi it is well worth a try. Perfect for entertaining or a family get-together.

If there’s one good thing about the warm weather in winters in Jeddah, it’s that it will always be a good time to pop a mochi!

For orders and home deliveries, contact Ahmed Houri on 0504609976 or via their website.

Over three million Pakistani-Indian Muslim expatriates in Saudi Arabia celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr with zeal and fervour on Thursday 8th August 2013. After four weeks of a soul-enriching Ramadan, the Eid festivities starting from Chand Raat (the night before eid) to the three days of Eid are packed with age-old customs, cultural rituals, and social events.

For Pakistani and Indian expats, each and every aspect of Eid in Jeddah is strikingly similar to how Eid is celebrated back home. There is no need to be home-sick. We have everything right here in Jeddah to cure your nostalgia.

Our guest contributor Rohail Khan relays a personal and detailed account of the festivities and celebrations of Eid in Jeddah, written exclusively for Jeddah Blog.

The summer is upon us, and although the first few days of the summer vacation will surely bring welcome relief to children and parents alike, for many youngsters, boredom will begin to set in. Kids will fall into an all too relaxed routine, sleeping late and waking late. If parents are not worrying about how to prise their sons away from Minecraft and daughters away from the Disney Channel, they are fretting over the lack of use of grey cells for a whole three months. Summer clubs can be an excellent way to stimulate little people and get them using their minds and bodies constructively. The following are some of the summer clubs we have come to know about in Jeddah that are still open to registeration. We urge you to visit and do your research before taking a final decision.

If you would like your summer club activity to be listed here, drop us an email with all the details.

Barbie Chefs Jeddah

Get your young girls involved in their food by giving them the chance to make their own delicious baked goodies, pasta, drinks, and special ramazan food in Barbie Chefs Jeddah. The club includes a special cake decorating session by RIFCREATIONS (specialists in baking and cake decoration). Each girl will learn how to bake a cake, brownies and numerous other delicious stuff which they get to take home, and will enjoy a great time making a mess that you don’t have to clean up!!! What a better excuse for moms to sit back and enjoy the food made by their princesses.Age: 9 -16 and above ( only girls)
Dates: 11th – 20th june 2013
Timings: 5 – 7 pm (2 hours daily)
location: rehab dist 5
Charges: SR 500 (all the equipment and supplies included)

Art Attack and Baby Chef

Kids art and craft activities and baby chef sessions is starting from 22nd June – 3rd July ( Thursday and Friday not included). It’s 10 days of activities full of fun.